It is of some
interest to know that this film is
eerily similar to
Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Disney's latest
cash cow. Even if we
take into consideration the occasional similarities due to the identical subject matter, the
coincidences are still overwhelming. One might argue that an
identical plot is
theoretically plausible, but that train of thought is derailed by the character designs which are,
oddly enough, damn near identical.
Of course, the director of Disney's film has been quoted as saying that he hadn't even heard of Nadia until "long after we'd finished production...."
Somehow, this doesn't surprise me in the least.
Here is a further list of similarities:
The hero in Nadia is a sandy haired boy adorned with round, oversized glasses and a red bowtie.
The hero in Atlantis is a sandy haired man adorned with round, oversized glasses and a red bowtie.
They're both intelligent characters, and over time we've been taught that glasses are visual shorthand for intelligence, but though scientists seem to favor bowties (and if it's not red, what's it going to be?), it's a stretch.
Eventually, our aforementioned hero runs into...
Grandis, a beautiful and firey mercenary. (Nadia)
Helga, a beautiful yet cold-blooded mercenary. (Atlantis)
Stretching it a bit, I know, but it's still a similarity.
Onwards we march. In Nadia, our hero (Jean) ends up on a high tech submarine with Grandis.
In Atlantis, circumstance places our hero (Milo) on board...you guessed it, a high tech submarine with none other than Helga.
After a while, the Nadia crew stumbles upon an underwater crevasse, which leads them to a chamber filled with strange bones. Meanwhile, the ISS of the sea piloted by the Atlantis folks stumbles upon...take a guess? No? An underwater crevasee which leads them to a chamber filled with strange carvings.
Once the Nadia crew hits this chamber, they head for an open space, then hold a memorial for those who died along the way. Once the Atlantis crew hits this chamber, they hold a memorial for those lost along the way, then head for open space. I'd chalk this one up to Americanization. Because, really, everyone knows dead people are more important than your life.
After the Nadia crew has their service, they find themselves in Atlantis, a dead civilization.
After the Atlantis crew finishes finding their wide open spaces, they wind up in Atlantis, a living civilization.
Now, I know you're saying "BUT EX! WAIT! One civilization's alive, and one's dead! That isn't the same!" Well settle down, bitch. You always change a few answers when you're copying someone's test. Not that I would know...
In Nadia, in the center of Atlantis is an utterly massive crystalline structure. In Atlantis, I'll bet you can't guess what lies at the center of Atlantis. Really, bet you can't. (It's a giant crystalline structure!)
In Nadia, said massive crystalline structure is linked to a small sapphire jewel worn as a pendant by the heroine (Nadia), who has no idea what in the holy fuck the pendant is any good for.
In Atlantis, said massive crystalline structure is linked to a small sapphire jewel worn as a pendant by the heroine (Kida), who has no idea what in the holy fuck the pendant is any good for.
(Does this count as a cut-and-paste w/u?)
Now, Nadia doesn't know what the crystal is for because, as a small girl, she lost her family. Kida doesn't know what the crystal is for because, as a small girl, she lost her mother. But Nadia discovers that the crystal is the power source for Atlantis. So does Kida.
But of course! This explains why the bad guys in the respective flicks are so interested in the sodding city! In Nadia, they want to capture and use the power source (because the Japanese are resourceful.) In Atlantis, they'd rather capture and sell the power source (Capitalism, baby! Free trade!)
Meanwhile, the rest of the world is nosediving into a war with a secret society. (Nadia.)
Meanwhile, the rest of the world is nosediving into a war with Germany. (Atlantis. Remember, this is Disney. Germans are still Commies.)
But wait! Good will triumph, because Nadia uses her pendant to merge with and control the power source. Any guess as to what Kida winds up doing? Eh? Eh? Wrong! She uses her pendant to merge with and control the power source! Didn't see it coming, did you? Thought not.
And because both are movies and both were released after 1975, they have to contain some crappy love story, so in both movies the hero and heroine fall in love and live happily ever after...lucky bastards.
The End.